#makoblue

[fairlybeloved]

@makoblue

"You're welcome, Mrs Hopkins, don't worry about it. Don't have much planned today." In one arm, Zack carried what appeared to be a pile of groceries, while the other supported a decrepit old woman, back locked in a perpetual bend forward.

"Now THAT I doubt. You must be struggling with a LINE of lady callers, eh? You're such a good boy."

Zack smiled, their pacing painfully slow, but he didn't mind it. Mrs Hopkins was near completely blind. Probably a good thing she didn't know the one consistently helping her out was viewed as anything BUT the good citizen she thought of him. Rather, a menace to their fair city - and hunted, at that.

ShinRa was chomping at the bit to finally get a hold of him. If they did, Zack had no small amount of ideas of what they would do to him. He wasn't willing to give them the pleasure. He'd escaped under impossible circumstances and yet, freedom was hardly how it felt.

Zack's world had always been topsy turvy, extending far beyond what he could recall. The memories of the past decade, or longer, overtook all the ideas of before when things were simpler [those days that he sorely took for granted, and painfully yearned for now]. The ground had yet to resettle into any sense of normalcy since he'd gained his 'freedom,' as loose a concept as it was for the hunted. How did one go from stagnation to color and sound all at once? It felt very much like his mind and body were caught in two different places. He was living a splintered reality.

"All right, Mrs Hopkins, we're here!"

"Very good. You can just set the groceries down the ground where you always do. Missy will be along presently."

"You got it." Zack hustled to put down the ladies goods, opening the door and rushing back to assist her the rest of the way forward.

"Thank you, young man."

He had told her his real name on one occasion, but she never seemed to recall it. Now.... well, whatever name he gave her, it was false. Best for everyone involved, though he didn't see any sense of danger in that circumstance.

"I'll see you around, Mrs Hopkins!"

It was a painful experience, those brief moments of pure bliss, where the world seemed finally righted. It was just...

So NORMAL. So innocent and carefree, like everything might be okay.

Zack sighed, tilting his head back.

There was a niggling sensation in the back of his head, he could feel the tiny hairs on his neck stand bolt upright. He'd long learned to follow his instincts. How else would he have survived so long? Eyes popped open, body tensed, and his gaze pierced through the layers of the world that existed in front of him to find what had alarmed him unconsciously.

He stared. 

It was rude to stare and yet, there was no internal voice that demanded he look away. Gone was the fresh-faced dreamer. There was more than simply the physical scars that marred him. 

Cloud?

He stared, because there was often things around him that reminded him of his old friend [they'd been through quite a lot together, though he doubted Cloud would remember any of it].

Damn if the man ahead didn't look like Cloud. 

There was nearly a momentary retraction back to the past, where Zack would screech and jump like some rabid spider monkey to latch onto his back and demand he join him for a drink or an adventure through the countrysides they connected over!

He huffed out a breath, the burning in his chest reminding him of the need for oxygen, a discomfort that brought him slamming back into the moment. 

[unforestalledreturn-a]

Monochrome

@makoblue liked for a starter! (KEK) It had all mattered so much back then; conquest and heroes, monsters and hope. There was always something to chase after, always something to fuel the fervor of the former First Class, Genesis Rhapsodos. But now, there was nothing left. Meteorfall was devastating, and the ruins under his feet offered unfamiliar terrain, even if he was certain he had walked these streets many times before. A quiet, orange-red dusk had settled across the horizon, the creak and groan of unstable structures his only company. Very little was spared the tumult of total plate collapse-- not even the underdeveloped Sector 6 was spared, much of the debris and other loose material built up to make a most fantastic nest of creatures both native and released from containment. 

But the occasional encounter never lasted long. The blood of beasts both natural and manufactured did little to paint the former commander’s world outside of its monochrome. Had battle always been so easy? Or was it that back then, all he could focus on was the best? 

Good enough?

Ironic. 

But it was too late now. There were only phantoms and whispers to guide him as rumors floated around Edge of a mercenary, a swordsman weidling a monstrously large blade. Former ShinRa. Few individuals fit such a description, and if it was for just a single familiar face… something left… Just a little color. 

The mercenary was a fickle thing. Figures-- Fair never could settle. Always dragged off to this or that. Always rolling with the punches. Resilient. Adaptable. But after enough goose chases and loose ends, he had obtained a particularly hot tip that the young man frequented a church that by some miracle had withstood much of the devastation. And for many denizens, it was a holy place. But when Genesis arrived, he was less than impressed… nonetheless, he walked through the crumbled double doors before being greeted with an overwhelming smell of… flowers.

Holy indeed. 

Quietly, he stalked, attention captured by something so rarely seen in the city. Had it been there all this time? Stooping beside the outermost ring, hair falling off as a one-sided veil, he gently caressed a petal.

[hatredheld]

❛  why can’t you just let it go?  ❜

 *  ―  𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑺𝑻𝒀 𝑸𝑼𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺. || No longer accepting.

LET IT GO?? How could he be expected to do that?

Mako-infused hues seem to burn into Cloud's. The anger is roiling within him, but aside from the slight lowering of brows and the venom lacing his tongue it'd be impossible to guess it.

" I OWE nobody anything. LETTING GO would be nothing but traitorous; you can't be so ignorant as to believe I'd FORGIVE them for the genocide of my kind? " 

[marusomongrel]

All I want is a better life, feel the light in my eyes Taking the hand at my side, I’ll reach and make it mine That sly heart beating- So bury me in pleasure Rest in peace, we fall together The Hell in wait just beneath the eyes We will find love in between the lines I love you, so whatever Hate me, take all that I treasure, my honey!

[kunselxsoldier]

PEOPLE I'D LIKE TO GET TO KNOW BETTER !

alias / name : I don't really have an alias, my own personal blog is @kisarastrife if that counts, but only if you enjoy my own personal ramblings and YuGiOh! fangirling. :) I also have a handful of FFXV muses and two Far Cry 5 ones too.

birthday : October 15th BC

zodiac sign : Libra

height : 163cm (Just slightly under 5'4" for others who use this scale)

hobbies : Writing, cooking, playing my Playstation, small bit of reading and a lot of baking cakes and crocheting.

favourite colour : Red, childhood constant.

favourite book : This will sound soooooo odd. But I read a book called 'Fire Bringer' when I was about 9 or 10, which was based in what I believe was Scottish mythology (and I adhered to that, being Irish) and it had a deer fawn born with a prophesised birth mark and was very interesting. I believe the author was David Clement-Davies. I still adore this book a lifetime later.

* Also I adore the trilogy by Marita Conlon-McKenna (Irish Author) which chronologies An Gorta Mór (the Great Famine) in her books Under The Hawthorn Tree, Wildflower Girl and Fields of Home. Brilliant short stories which pinpoint a time in our history through the lens of children. I read them as a 8 or 9 year old and still consider them very treasured reads.

last film / show : Last show was Avatar: The Last Airbender (live action) and Shogun. I have to finish Avatar yet, but I adore the animated series and I like the live action series so far, so I'll have good thing to say. As for Shogun, I came in arse-ways and watched the 5th episode first (because my dad watched all the rest and both of us were drinking together and he put it on ... anyway, I ate, no crumbs.). Looooving it so far. Need to do my retro-watching of the previous episodes. Cosmo Jarvis is giving me Jax Teller vibes for some reason and I can't pinpoint it.

recent reads : Ooooooh, such a changeable topic. At the moment, I'm adoring the author 'Tom Marcus' - a former British intelligence agent publishing under a pseudonym. Fantastic author who plops you right into the action and faultlessly explains usable aspects of spycraft and response/operational tactics. Really puts you into the mindset of an operational agent with this kind of burden and assignment.

*Very good read for anyone interested in the Turk aspect of FFVII .. just FYI. And the author is an absolute polite gentleman on Insta.

inspiration : I don't really know. I have a terrible habit of picking up muses which are overlooked by their own creators/developers and I fucking adore them. I loved Kunsel the first time I saw him back when I was 14 (many moons ago) and he had no voice and just him with his helmet, then fell back in love with him the millisecond that security trooper mentioned his name in Remake. But 99% of my muses are NPCs or side-characters with very little input such as Kunsel [FFVII], Shotgun[female Turk] FFVII, Dave Auburnbrie [FFXV], Petra Fortis [FFXV], Nyx's mam [FFXV], Carmina Rye [FC5], Eli Palmer [FC5] and a few others - anyone want to interact, just holler at me!!!!!!

story behind url : His name is Kunsel and he's a SOLDIER. I don't like using '-' so I used 'x' instead. Simple is as simple does. :)

fun fact about me : I am an identical twin and I'm lucky enough that my twin sis also writes RP, she can be found at @proxnotxaxfool or @exiled-turk

tagged by:@holyguardian and @soldier-lodbrok Tagging: @proxnotxaxfool, @exturk, @brokeniisms, @makoblue, @speedchasing, @lockhartred, @uponthyhonor, @wingsdreamt, @wingsandsteel and anyone else who sees this and wishes to do it!!!!

[primalvessel]

There isn't enough positivity going around! So I'm gonna compliment you and you should pick out three to seven of your mutuals and tell me what you think they do best!

I think that what you do best is your immersive narrative voice - scenes you write from Maru's perspective are unmistakably his own thoughts, the way he views them. It makes it really easy to get into his head and understand what he is thinking and feeling, and lose yourself in the narration.

Thank you for the compliment! Wow! I mean. I don't know what to say. <3 I'm so glad that you can see Maru in everything he says and does. That makes me really happy. ^^

<3

As for my moots, long post ahead:

@azure-steel - Saphie's Cloud is absolutely fab and she has his thoughts and comments down pat for sure! Every word out of his mouth, I can definitely imagine coming from Cloud and I love it. He's so blunt, emotionally stunted and yet sassy and I love it.

Shio-mun over at @the-littlest-kojin is incredible at immersing their characters in the world. They see and include all the little details that make it absolutely unmistakable that you're interacting with someone from FFXIV and that they belong there.

@azure-seadragon / @ethereal-jule is really good at creating characters with depth. They might have tragic pasts or presents and that's definitely shaped them into who they are but if they're not already more than their circumstances, they can be so and I've thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the sides to their characters and watching them grow and develop.

@kolak-magiya has some fab characters too! They're really good at getting our characters into situations that are out of the ordinary for them and therefore allowing us to see sides of our characters that we otherwise might not. Plus their art and gposes are great! Moar pls!

Squall over with @onepartbrave is awesome! Bee's great at balancing Squall's renowned introversion with his growth and maturity so although he might be in a situation that doesn't allow for his abused '...' his reactions and thoughts are still quintessentially Squall.

@ancalagxn is great at showing a softer side to the imposing-looking and rather pointy Au Ra and you're never in doubt as to the fact that it's an Au Ra you're interacting with. Their characterisation is *chef's kiss*.

And @surpassing-limits does a fantastic job of reminding me that the Garleans are humans too - that the rank and file soldiers are doing their jobs for reasons that aren't just trying to take over the world. Their Garlean muses do a fantastic job of giving us insight into the individuals of the empire and how they're not necessarily heartless monsters.

I love all my moots though and these guys get honourable mentions too because they're fucking fab and I can't wait to interact with and see more of your muses too:

@aetherbled @aetherstories @verbeast @tellusbane @seatedsacrifice @infideliis @makoblue @steeleidolon @annjiru @herohikara-wol @hottataru @macrocosmic-star @cnavant @sinefinemors @thancrxdwatxrs @forgesahead

If I've left you out, I apologise, my brain is cheese.

Honourable honourable mention to @thedemonelucia who is great at the naughtiness and extremely good at enabling me. :3c

[wingsdreamt]

KNOWING YOUR PARTNER WELL CAN POTENTIALLY MAKE WRITING TOGETHER A LOT EASIER.

Name: fair

Pronouns: she/they

Preference of communication: Tumblr DMs or Discord, mainly Discord.

Name of muse(s): My main, active muses are in FF7 atm: zack (you're here!), cloud (@makoblue), and sephiroth (@serafim).

Experience/how long (months/years?): I picked up rping probably...'07-'09? WAY earlier than I should have at my current age. Don't call the police on me. LMAO

Platforms you’ve used: Uh oh, gonna out myself here with this list...Neopets, Furcadia, AIM, Skype, email, misc. forums when proboards was a thing, Subeta, Tumblr, Discord (not much)

Pet peeves / dealbreakers: Plotted threads that run only two or three responses can be frustrating. "Dead-end" responses that don't take a thread anywhere are particularly exhausting. I don't mind if it happens every so often, but I've unfollowed people over it before when it's every single interaction. I'm not interested in confronting other writers over to force them to change for my sake, but it's enough to tell me we probably won't be good writing partners.

Fluff, angst, or smut: Everything and anything as the mood or situation calls for it! Smut is probably the rarest of the bunch because PWP doesn't interest me so much these days. UST is just so satisfying hehe.

Plots or memes: Smatterings of both! I love fleshing out character dynamics and I like longer running threads too. Even better if both short prompts and plotted stuff share the same continuity. *chef's kiss*

Long or short replies: Depends on what I'm given and the situation at hand. As an average, my sweet spot is ±350 words or so. I'm not overly concerned about length of replies, but I'm an idiot and try to match anyway ahah.

Best time to write: Whenever my brain lets me run stream of consciousness and I've got a general shape of an entire response in my head. This usually means I have to start and stop a lot on replies until I flesh out something I like. Aaand sometimes I get impatient and just try to get stuff out there. We don't talk about that.

Are you like your muse(s): In some ways, I think so! I'm generally optimistic and kinda dumb, but I try to be smart about the things that count. As for the other two, well... Haha.

[a-vctlan]

7. What’s the first thing we’d see in your fridge? 54. Aside from writing, how do you spend your free time?

MUNDAY ASKS 🧊

7 — What’s the first thing we’d see in your fridge? ( + @makoblue who also asked separately frekjhfd )

Thought there was a pot of soup in there, but I just got home and checked and no, pretty empty! The first thing I saw was an opened can of condensed milk, lonely and sitting empty on the top shelf.

The next thing you'd see would be a dubious bag of expired (?) mozzarella.

54 — Aside from writing, how do you spend your free time?

Oh, oh, I did remember something extra for this question! I love watching stuff like movies and series, but the conditional is that I'm watching it with someone else! Though with the timezone stuff it's hard to coordinate sometimes, haha.

Also, I don't partake in it often, but I like doodling sometimes! One thing I would like to actually put more time into would be game design though - outside of a game jam a couple years ago, I haven't really touched it since.

[sanctiichor]

@makoblue 💕✨️

A late Christmas present for a friend of mine 💕✨

[sanctiichor]

@makoblue asked : Cloud tosses a crumpled, half-empty cup of soda at his helmet. The paper cup goes flying sailing-- the straw falls out, amber pop forms bubbly ribbons in the sky-- and the empty cup bounces harmlessly off one of the great, curved horns of Light's helmet.

“ I can’t believe you “ 

---

And here he was expecting this to be a calm and uneventful patrol on this fine evening in Radiant Garden...then again, with Cloud as his companion and his penchant for mischief now and again--Light was more surprised at how unsurprised he was when he felt the paper cup to bounce off his helm and to the ground in a defeated heap. 

Turning his head, the Warrior arches a silver brow towards his companion but if one knew him well enough, you would see the beginnings of a smile tugging at his lips and amusement shining in his periwinkle eyes--

“ My apologies if my helm did much to offend you. “ he allows himself to chuckle then as he reaches down to pick up the discarded cup--

“ However, it is in bad taste to litter. “ he finishes with tossing the paper cup back to its owner, his aim true and hitting Cloud square on the forehead. 

[adventhero-blog1]

❛ Did you really mean all those things you said? ❜

question sentence starters || @makoblue

    “ yeah, i … ”  it’s a little embarrassing, admittedly;  hence he’d chosen to send those messages  (  … rather than telling zack straight to his face, that is )  ——  &  in all honesty, cloud had been  HOPING  he wouldn’t ask about it. words has never really been his strong suit, but meeting someone like zack;  not only admiring him like the amazing friend he is, but just the fact he’s such a great GUY;  able to inspire so many. he had to convey it …

    well, somehow. cloud shifts on the spot, one gloved hand rising  &  awkwardly tugging his uniform upward, so as to guard his face. friendship is something quite foreign;  new to him  ( … as if  THAT  wasn’t obvious enough )  even if it has almost been two years now. strange ——  has it really been that long ?  he digresses. shifting his weight from one foot to the other, blue eyes idly  DRIFT  to his side.  “ err … your words !  they were inspiring. ”

[fairlybeloved]

@makoblue

"Cl----"

"Cloud!" Zack forced his friend to focus on him, and only him, steadying him by cupping his large hands on the sides of his face and not allowing his gaze to stray very far.

Was there any wonder that he unraveled at the seams? That he found instability in the uncertainty that they faced on the daily? Cloud was stronger than he would ever know, because, Zack doubted he even spent a SECOND realizing the truth strength he exuded simply getting to where he was that day. A lesser person would not have made it over the first hurdle, let alone the insurmountable obstacles that yet lay in wait.

"Listen, LISTEN to me." His voice was harsh, loud, refusing any interference of getting in between them.

❛ You are allowed to feel messed up and inside out. It doesn't mean you're defective - it just means you're human. ❜ Soldier or not, didn't matter, their humanity made it so sometimes they were imperfect!

"Think of what you've accomplished! Of how far you've come!"

[unforestalledreturn-a]

muse feelings and indicators

RULES: bold for usually, italics for sometimes

happiness

being unable to stop smiling. laughter. bear hugs. happy tears. waving arms around. dancing. contently sighing. eyes twinkling. laughter lines. childlike playfulness. skipping. talking more. affection. cracking more jokes than usual. gesturing more when talking. higher pitched voice. squealing. jumping around. clapping.

sadness

tearing up. self-hugging. one-arm cross. an aching chest. scratchy throat. a runny nose. turning away. deep breaths. quivery smiles. crying. infantile sobbing. hands gripping each other or an object. covering mouth. puffy eyes. eyes appear red. voice breaking. a distant or empty stare. monotone voice. asking for comfort. faking a smile. crumbling. shaking. whimpering. abusing an unhealthy habit. withdrawing from others. big teary eyes. doing something even if it could hurt them.

anger

furrowed brows. baring teeth. passive-aggressive comments. avoiding eye contact. sarcasm. headache. sore muscles. hiding clenched fists. irritability. jumping to conclusions. raising voice. going silent. demanding immediate action. keeping it all in until exploding. body tensing. making risky decisions. middle finger.

fear

wanting to flee or hide. what-ifs. images of what-could-be flashing in mind. uncontrollable trembling. rapid breathing. screaming. a skewed sense of time. irritability. keeping silent. denying fear. turning away from the cause. pretending to be brave. nail-biting. lip-biting. scratching skin. a joking tone but a voice that cracks. fainting. insomnia. panic attacks. exhaustion. substance abuse. tics. rushing adrenaline. face draining of color. hair lifting on the back of the neck. feeling rooted to the spot. making body as small as possible. staring but not seeing. crying. a shrill voice. whispering. gripping something or someone. stuttering. flinching at noises. pleading.

exhaustion

constantly yawning. slurring words together. dark circles or lines under eyes. mood swings. hallucinations. calling people by the wrong name. dizziness. denying they’re tired. slow blinking. trouble concentrating. stumbling. leaning on a doorframe for support. sluggish movements. falling asleep someplace that isn’t a bed. becoming irritated by the smallest things. “i’m awake, i’m fine”. shaking so bad they spill their drink. fall asleep in their clothes. lay their head on the table because they’re so tired. passing out.

|| Tagged by @saishuu-heiki Tagging: @generalzelgius @whatdoangelsdreamof @notcompensatingforanything @makoblue @steeleidolon

AND YOU!

[steeleidolon]

Tag Dump

[randomfandomimagine]

If you'd like some inspiration for your writing I have a recommendation for Cloud Strife: Boyfriend Materia by MakoBlues on Archive of our own! Ignore the tags👀 they're just fluffy oneshots and they absolutely nail Cloud's personality in AC. 😊 I hope I help you a lil bit ♥

Boyfriend Materia?! The title is already a win, I love a good pun! But thank you so much, sweetie! Even if it didn’t help me, I would have some quality reading content. You’re so thoughtful to want to share it with me 😚

[makoblue-art]

*** NAME CHANGE *** Kathybeep >>> MakoBlue_Art Hey guys I decided to change my name so that all the platforms of social media and my gaming platforms will start to match up. Then it’ll be easier to hand out info for those searching. Hope this doesn’t mess up anything for anyone. Thanks for understanding and if you don’t notice then all the same awesome!! Unfortunately the simple #makoblue is taken but I was able to add #art to the end so that ultimately all my username tags will still have my two favorite #shark names attached to it. #mako #blue that’s all the history behind it just my two favorite sharks (and my favorite color) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq5yqwagCs9/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1rm4h994kj6or